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Kiki Georgiou reports on the Acne show

by Kiki Georgiou on 17 September 2012.

If you thought purple was 'in' last season, Johansson would now like you to turn your attention to lilac. And if you were getting the feeling that vertical stripes were 'the thing' well, he'd agree with you.

The space was the pinkest bubblegum pink and Elvis was at his best, crooning Love Me Tender and oh, we did. Never mind that we found ourselves perched on the floor rather than a seat behind a pillar. A lovely pink pillar it was but still. There's a lot of good will for Jonny Johansson and a real interest in what mad journey he'll take Acne next so our destination for SS13, friends? Texas, through the American Frontier and over a galaxy into the future. Call it Space Cowgirl country, if you must but that's where we're going.

Let's get this out in the open first: there were patent Stetsons. A lot of them, in white and black and, well, they were there. But the opening look was a sleeveless slogan tee with the word MUSIC at the front and NEW at the back and a light lavender long skirt, pleated and gathered at the side with two buckles, airplane-seatbelt-style. The grey blue tailored three-piece that followed did not give much away either but then the Yeeha! started. Black leather leggings got the straight jacket treatment, with buckles along the leg and a pinstriped top came off the shoulder, its puffy sleeves all scrunched up. If you thought purple was 'in' last season, Johansson would now like you to turn your attention to lilac. And if you were getting the feeling that vertical stripes were 'the thing' well, he'd agree with you. A buttoned-up leather jacket had vertical black and lilac stripes - a win win, really. Those aforementioned buckles? They took over the patent lilac sandals took, reaching the knee. They actually worked best in white, teamed with a white knee-length skirt and a frilly-sleeved top. Those frills were in their full Romantic-poet glory on a sheer white shirt. The, now prerequisite, Acne leather jacket came in apple green with Beetlejuice black and white striped sleeves and it certainly looked great over a white floaty skirt (or was it a dress?). Or a Battenberg-cake style red and white one over a red pencil skirt and matching doctor's bag. The pinstripes also somehow worked on a boxy blazer - wider stripes at the sleeves - over matching trousers, flaring at the hem.

If the buyers in the room were getting nervy as to how to sell the Victoriana/New Frontier long skirts to the cool girls after some skin-tight skinny jeans they needn't worry. Taken apart there were covetable pieces here. And I'm sure there were even more back in the showroom. Hey, they were probably in this show too but that floor seat made it tricky to see. So we just sang along to the rockabilly version of Abba's greatest, Dancing Queen, and we joined the mob trying to exit via the lifts. Elvis had well and truly left the building!